Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher (Berkley) for the free e-copy of The Proposal. All opinions expressed below are my own.

Synopsis:
Every girl dreams of a grand public proposal...right? Well not Nikole. Especially not with her casual boyfriend. Especially while at a baseball game she doesn't want to attend. And especially when he doesn't even spell her name correctly on the screen! So starts The Proposal. Needless to say, Nikole does NOT accept (I promise that is not a spoiler), but she is luckily rescued by a couple of other fans. The Proposal tell's Nik's story after the proposal goes totally wrong.

Review:
I read Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date this past winter and found it totally charming, so I was excited to see The Proposal as an option on Netgalley. Thankfully, Berkley approved me for an e-copy of The Proposal, which is the same format that I read The Wedding Date.

I think you'll love all of the cute (and steamy) shenanigans in The Proposal. Plus, the main characters love food (in this one we have tons of gourmet cupcakes and Mexican food!). I especially loved that Nik was independent and didn't need a man in her life to feel complete. I also adored that Carlos was so close with his family and was an awesome cook (swoon!). Plus, our favorite couple from The Wedding Date makes an appearance!

I am quickly falling in love with contemporary romance. I love the sweet couples going through every day problems, but ultimately finding love. I love the new trend of independent women and even role reversals (think Kiss Quotient). Plus, I'll admit it, I love the occasional steamy romance scene. So publishers, pick more of these titles! Oh, and go ahead and send me a copy when you do!

I would have to rate The Proposal a strong 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4) stars. I enjoyed the story and really liked the characters, but it was simply missing that something extra for me. That being said, I think fans of The Wedding Date and Kiss Quotient will adore The Proposal. I sincerely hope this is a new trend and we'll see more and more books like this being published.

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
Nikole Paterson a smart, hip, freelance journalist, has been dating gorgeous actor Fisher for five months. When he asks her to attend a Dodgers game for his birthday, she sucks it up and goes along thinking maybe it is time to end this relationship because they don’t have much in common. But Fisher surprises her with a marriage proposal. On the Jumbotron! Nik is shocked and unsure what to say, so Fisher and his bros storm off leaving her to deal with the waiting press. Carlos Ibarra and his sister Angie witness the entire scene and swoop in to rescue Nik and get her home. The opening scene was hysterical
What follows is a rebound hook-up turned relationship but we don’t want to have a relationship novel that has its sweet moments but lacked depth and made it difficult to invest in the characters.
Ultimately, the novel was a little hollow and the characters a little shallow. Carlos --Hispanic pediatrician, and Nik-- Stamford educated journalist with a great pedigree, have great chemistry but each is blind to what makes a relationship and how they could benefit from one. They spend an annoying amount of time having great dates and then thinking about how they are sending the wrong message to the other about the status of their non-relationship. It was all rather wearying. And a chapter towards the end where Nik interviews a woman who was in an abusive relationship felt wildly out of place in the narrative.
Perhaps this is the way some folks structure their relationships and I am sure many will identify with this couple but I didn’t find their journey romantic at all. However, there is a great deal of positive girl power here as well as a few sweet moments and I am sure fans of Guillory’s first novel will find this one appealing as well. 3 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An MLB scoreboard proposal with her name spelled wrong! And she doesn’t like baseball, his man bun, or his bros… and it’s only been 5 months. Luckily Carlos Ibarra (a fun supporting character from Guillory’s fabulous and popular The Wedding Date) manages to swoop in and get her out before the media can descend on her when her now-ex storms away. And Carlos keeps being there for her until their no-strings affair starts to feel like a big and scary relationship. The story has humor, heart, and a lot of fun food. I might have liked it a smidge more than The Wedding Date, which I loved!

A fantastic follow up to Guillory's first book "The Wedding Date." Funny, realistic and fun to read. Well developed characters, realistic conversations, and a slew of real life drama (such as dealing with grief, abusive relationships, troubled pregnancies and self love) all make their way into the story, but none of it feels heavy handed or too much. Contemporary romance fans will soak this one up.

After reading and loving Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date last year, I was thrilled to get my hands on an ARC of her follow-up, The Proposal. And it did not disappoint! It had all of the things I loved about TWD, with a fun new premise and endearing new characters.

The Proposal begins with our main character, Nik, being proposed to unexpectedly in front of 45,000 people on the Jumbotron at Dodgers Stadium-- a nightmare for most people, but especially so when Nik has only dated this guy for five months and is most certainly not in love with him. Enter our hero, Carlos (who you might remember from The Wedding Date!), who manages to rescue Nik from the camera crews surrounding her after her public proposal rejection. The story goes from there, and surprise surprise, thus begins an adorable romance.

I was so excited to read more about Carlos, and this book did not disappoint! We got to see his devotion to his family, his love of food and talent for cooking, his new job, and of course, him falling in love. I really enjoyed being inside Carlos's head; he's just one of those rare, genuinely good humans.

I also loved Nik! I appreciated the way she knew what she wanted out of life and didn't take any sh*t from men. Plus, her friend group was so much fun to read about. Jasmine Guillory really excels at writing female friendship-- from Nik, Dana, and Courtney's evenings at their neighborhood bar to their group chat, all of their interactions felt exactly like the everyday interactions I have with my best friends.

As with The Wedding Date, there is some excellent discussion of identity in The Proposal! We have a black heroine (which is #ownvoices rep) and a Mexican-American hero. I loved the scene between Nik and Alexa, the heroine from The Wedding Date, where the two women share a laugh about the fact that neither of their partners told them the other woman was black before they met for the first time.

Guillory not only can write a great romance, but she also excels at writing the details that make the story feel all the more real: from Courtney's cupcake shop, to the gym where Nik and her friends take a self-defense class together, to all the delicious descriptions of food (seriously, this is such a foodie book), all of these elements made the story feel vibrant and alive.

Overall, whether you've already read and loved The Wedding Date or you're just looking for a good romance, I highly recommend picking up The Proposal next time you need a fun, compulsively readable romance between two people of color!

Have you read The Proposal?

Jasmine Guillory is a fabulous writer. Her characters are relatable; they feel like people you would want in your inner circle. They are not perfect people, but their flaws are human and ultimately make them more likable. The diverse cast of characters is fantastic and Guillory does an excellent job depicting the variety of cultures and backgrounds prevalent in modern society.

The romance is sweet and breaks from the typical mold of contrivances.

LOVED THIS! This was a great book. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the ending ;) I will definitely be reading more of Jasmine Guillory in the future--you have a devoted fan!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a very quick read. Refreshing to read a romance book where neither of the main characters were white! Nik the main female character is black and Carlos the main male character is Latino. There are a lot of diverse characters in this book which was exactly what I expect to see in 2018 so preach! I liked that this book was steamy without feeling over saturated and it still had a lot of heart and meaningful character building. I did feel like Carlos was a more well rounded character than Nik though which is why I’d give this book a 4 rather than a 4.5!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one though and I really recommend it if you’re a fan of books like The Hating Game!

The Proposal is a feel-good romance that has more confident characters and less repetitive dialogue than The Wedding Date. I enjoyed it more than The Wedding Date because Carlos and Nik don't spend so much time doubting themselves like Drew and Alexa did. I enjoy how Guillory's male characters don't need to be shown how to respect women--it's already part of who they are. That's refreshing in a romance.

When freelance writer, Nikole (with a k) gets blindsided by a public proposal from her kind of boring, but pretty hot boyfriend (who spells her name wrong) at a Dodgers game, Carlos (and his sister) saves the day. After that, the two form a quick friendship that turns into a friends-with-benefits thing. And they're both clear that's what it is. And they're both clear that that's what they want. Until one of them isn't so clear anymore...

I'm really loving Jasime Guillory and her casual use of inclusion. This book isn't necessarily about the race of the main characters, it's about the love story. Which just happens to be between a black woman and a Mexican man. End of story - or I guess beginning since we know that from the start...

This was a fun read and I enjoyed reading about both Nikole and Carlos. I loved Nik's complete feminism and her struggle to let go of her baggage. My only complaint is more sex! None of this fade to black nonsense... :)

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory is a standalone novel. Having read and enjoyed Guillory’s debut novel, The Wedding Date, I looked forward to reading this book.

Nikole (Nik) Paterson, our heroine, is sitting at a Dodger baseball game with her boyfriend and his friends, when she sees herself on the huge scoreboard. When she looks down, her boyfriend of 5 months is proposing to her in front of the huge crowd, Nik is totally shocked, and speechless. She never expected this, and with the pressure of everyone watching, she does not accept the proposal, which then angers her boyfriend, and the media is now ready to crash in.

Carlos Ibarra and his sister are also at the game, and only two rows behind the shell shocked Nik. Knowing she is going to be bombarded, they come to her rescue pretending to be friends, and pull her away from the media to safety. Not having a ride, Carlos and Angela will take her to a bar, where Nik’s best friends were waiting for her, and they all talk about what happened, and get to know each other.

Carlos and Nik become fast friends, but both are not interested in any relationship. Nik is swearing off men (ok to be friends) and Carlos does not believe in true love or getting into a serious relationship. They have fun together as friends, but in a short time their attraction to each other will heat up; but they are both determined to enjoy the benefits without anything more. Each has their own baggage, as Nik knowing Carlos is a doctor, and her other relationship that failed was with a doctor who cheated on her; Carlos takes care of his family, and because of his father leaving them, he doesn’t believe in love.

This turns out to be a very nice, sweet, engaging romance between two very likable people. This is also a multicultural romance, with some great diverse secondary characters. Guillory does this so well. We have Nik, a beautiful black woman; Carlos is latino; his best friend is Korean and her best friends are gay or white. It was a fun group.

What follows is a difficult journey for both of them, with each falling in love with each other, but having to get past their own baggage. You will have to read the book to find out if they open their hearts to their true feelings and allow love to lead the way. The Proposal was a sweet fun read.

The storyline and characters are fun and fluffy. The writing was a bit more 'tell' than 'show', which meant I didn't feel that the characters connected as deeply as the author likely intended, but that may be more of a personal preference.

Loved this book! A great story of family, relationships, and friendships. Jasmine Guillory never disappoints.

The opening of the book is fantastic (no public proposals ever, please!) and that energy carried much of the book along. I thought the romance itself lacked oomph, but the characters were great, and it makes me so happy to read diverse romance.

I read The Wedding Date last year and was a little disappointed by it (even though I know a ton of people who loved it). So, I was excited to try another Jasmine Guillory novel and I was not disappointed by this one! This one was cute, sweet, and just the perfect read!

When Nik finds herself being proposed to in front of everyone at a baseball stadium she panics, the man she has been dating for only several months is proposing and she can not believe it. She does not want to say yes so she politely declines leading her to featured on sports center and be the talk of the Town. At the stadium she was saved from TV crews by Carlos and his sister, Angie.

After spending time with Carlos she realizes that she enjoys his company and is glad that she met him. What will come of this newfound friendship in the wake of the public proposal? Anyone who enjoys a cute romance novel will enjoy. It was the perfect balance of funny, romantic, sexy, and story of friendship.

This was, dare I say it, even *better* than THE WEDDING DATE (which was exceptional). Nikole and Carlos are wonderful characters and their friends-to-lovers relationship was beautiful. I loved all the humor in the book.

I was really hoping I would slip in and enjoy the Proposal. I loved the premise and while the first book was ok, I listened and wondered if I would make out better reading this author. Unfortunately, this one was not for me, I had hoped I would enjoy this, but I am not connecting. Characters from The Wedding Date play a big part in this story. DNF at 30%

Jasmine Guillory has done it again. She’s crafted a smart, witty, sexy, & delicious novel to fall in love with. This time we’re in the middle of a new-found, or should I say re-bound, relationship between Nik & Carlos. I loved the early stages of their fun hook ups & how we get to see the two unexpectedly fall for one another. Their chemistry is superbly hot & let’s not forget the sexiest parts: their sense of humor between all those steamy moments!

Aside from the romance & fun comedy aspect, there’s a deeper story about empowerment and friendships. One I wholeheartedly believe in. It’s the perfect foundation for a perfect read.

This was, amazingly, even better than The Wedding Date. I was so sad to see it end. Nik and Carlos are an extraordinary love story.

A slightly better version of New Adult romance set in California-- the characters were more distinct and likable. The family and friends aren't mass-produced background characters but individual and memorable. Although of course the ending the expected, it's a fun read.